The Baroque-Era Guitar Was Made By A Legendary Luthier

However, we’re not sure if any are more rare, or would have a higher price tag than this Baroque-era classical guitar that is over 300 years old.

The guitar, simply named “Sabionari,” is the last playable guitar of its kind on Earth. Crafted in 1679, this priceless guitar was constructed by the legendary Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari, a member of the equally legendary Stradivari family. Any instrument built by the family is considered a “Stradivarius” – the Latinized version of their surname.

The Stradivari family are some of the most celebrated and renowned stringed-instrument builders of their era, but Antonio is most certainly chief among them.

It’s been estimated that Antonio built 1,116 instruments, 960 of them being violins, and the rest being an assortment of cellos, violas, harps and an extremely select amount of guitars.

Experts have also concluded that only approximately 650 of Antonio’s instruments survive to this day, 450 to 512 of them being violins, making the “Sabionari” an insanely rare and one-of-a-kind Stradivarius guitar.

Antonio Stradivari

Owned by a private collector, a guitar dripping in this much history is undoubtedly museum worthy, but has instead been maintained at a level where it’s still playable, making it the only Stradivarius guitar that can make that claim.

In the video below, the renowned Norwegian classical guitarist Rolf Lislevand, known for playing Baroque era music, plays the Sabionari.

If you’ve ever wondered what a 337 year old guitar sounds like then you’re in the right place.